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All you need to know: Australia v West Indies, first Test

Jan 15, 2024 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

All you need to know: Australia v West Indies, first Test

Source:-www.cricket.com.au

Meeting for the second time in as many summers, Australia will be hoping the 2-0 scoreline is repeated when they meet West Indies in Adelaide and Brisbane.

Match facts

Who: Australia v West Indies

What: First NRMA Insurance Test Match

When: 17-21 January 2023, first ball at 10am local time (10:30am AEDT)

Where: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

How to watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports and Channel 7

Officials: Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon (standing), Sharfuddoula Saikat (third), Andy Pycroft (match referee)

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, the Unplayable Podcast. Listen and subscribe to the podcast below.

Here’s how to stay on top of all the action in the first Test between Australia and West Indies

The Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

Australia have called Matthew Renshaw into their squad in place of the retired David Warner. The rest of the squad remains the same, including reserve seamer Scott Boland who comes back into the Test squad after being released for BBL duties during the Sydney Test. There are no injuries to speak of among the group, which has stayed remarkably healthy over the past 18 months.

Australia captain Pat Cummins trains in the Adelaide Oval nets on Sunday // Getty
image Source:-www.cricket.com.au
© Courtesy of Cricket Australia | Multicultural Media (eLanka)

The West Indies have named seven uncapped players in their squad of 15, with wholesale changes from the group they brought to Australia last summer. The unflappable Kraigg Brathwaite again leads the team, with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph his deputy. The Windies will be hoping for big things from their inexperienced middle order of Kirk McKeznie, Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge and need a big haul of wickets from veteran quick Kemar Roach.

Local knowledge

Australia have won nine of their past 10 matches at Adelaide Oval, including the last four in a row. But this fixture is a day Test (as opposed to the usual day-night) and their most recent day match in Adelaide was a loss to India in 2018-19. 

It was a gigantic 419-run win to Australia in December 2022 when these two met here last summer, with big centuries to Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head.

Incredibly, only four of the Windies’ players in that match have returned for this tour, meaning it will be a vastly different opponent for Australia this time around.

Since January 1993, only one team has chosen to bowl first after winning the toss in Adelaide – that was England in 2017-18, a match they would eventually lose by 120 runs. 

Possible starting XIs   

Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

West Indies XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph

Australia have confirmed Steve Smith will be David Warner’s replacement as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner and not Matthew Renshaw, who has been drafted into the squad as cover. The move allows Cameron Green to return to the side in the No.4 position, where he has batted a lot in the Marsh Sheffield Shield. Pat Cummins has missed the past two Adelaide Test matches but looks likely to break that streak in the series opener. 

With only eight players with Test experience in the squad, there will be a minimum of three debuts for the Windies. Strongly tipped to get that call up is fast bowler Shamar Joseph, who impressed in the warm-up match with his sheer pace.

The quick from nowhere revives memories of Windies greats

Middle order batter Kavem Hodge scored 62 and 99 in that match, which should be enough to get a gig in the No.5 role, and he could very well be followed by Justin Greaves who offers versatility as a pace-bowling allrounder. Gudakesh Motie is tipped to take the spin role over Kevin Sinclair while Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who had an impressed debut series last summer, will partner captain Kraigg Brathwaite at the top.

Familiar face returns to help rebuild new-look Windies

Recent form   

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw   

Australia: WWWLDLWWWD

Despite a couple of nervy moments in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia’s quest for a Test summer clean sweep is on the cards after defeating Pakistan 3-0. Their bowling attack has shown no signs of slowing down and Mitch Marsh’s return to Test cricket in Australia couldn’t have gone too much better, taking out the player of the series award.

West Indies: DLLLWDLLWW

The Windies haven’t played a great deal of Test cricket since their series against Australia in November and December 2022, with only three two-Test series to speak of, and none since July. They recorded a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe away from home, lost 0-2 to South Africa a couple of weeks later, and then lost 0-1 to India at home. 

Head-to-head

Overall: Australia 60 wins, West Indies 32 wins, 25 draws, one tie

Past 10 years: Australia seven wins, one draw 

In Australia: Australia 39 wins, West Indies 18 wins, 10 draws, one tie  

Most runs: Brian Lara (2815), Viv Richards (2266), Desmond Haynes (2233), Clive Lloyd (2211), Steve Waugh (2192)

Most wickets: Courtney Walsh (135), Curtly Ambrose (128), Glenn McGrath (110), Lance Gibbs (103), Joel Garner (89) 

Rapid stats

  • Australia have dominated the past two decades against the West Indies – their last loss was in May 2003, with 15 wins and four draws since then
  • Steve Smith has scored big against the Windies every time he’s played the team from the Caribbean, with 752 runs in seven Tests at an average of 150.4
  • Likewise, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head both went big in their first taste of the West Indies last summer. Labuschagne hit 502 runs in the two Tests, Head hit 312.
  • With 79 Tests and 265 wickets to his name, Kemar Roach is easily the West Indies’ most experienced bowler. But his numbers in Australia don’t make for great reading, with eight wickets in seven Tests at an average of 90.62.
  • Kraigg Brathwaite’s first 10 Test innings against Australia brought only 102 runs (average of 10.2) but since then he’s scored 423 runs in eight innings (average 52.88) including a fourth-innings ton against the Aussies in Perth last summer.

Where to next?   

The NRMA Insurance Test series rolls onto Brisbane where the second Test will be held at the Gabba from January 25. 

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

Tour match: Cricket Australia XI drew with West Indies

First Test: January 17-21, Adelaide Oval (10.30am AEDT)

Second Test: January 25-29, Gabba (3pm AEDT)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua DaSilva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

Men’s Dettol ODI Series v West Indies

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

February 2: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 4: SCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 6: Manuka Oval, Canberra 2.30pm AEDT

Men’s Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas

February 9: Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.00pm AEDT

February 11: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

February 13: Perth Stadium, 7pm AEDT

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